Teddy bear, teddy bear, say your prayers
by AuntMo
Summary: With Sam in coma, and Cas losing the War in Heaven, Dean decides to take a risk and see if the items in Gabriel's will might be of any use to them at all.


**A/N: I have no true foreknowledge of what is yet to come this season, except that I don't think much good is in store for Sam. Though I do hope that after the writers dump on the bad, they dig him out of it all somehow. This is just my little vision.**

**Bamse is basically means Teddy in Norwegian. And this idea came to me after reading a post from princess_aleera over on livejournal about her favorite childhood toy and the beauty to be found in worn and patched-up teddy bear.**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own **_**Supernatural**_** or any of its characters.**

_Pain. Hot, searing pain. That was all he knew. Like a thousand scorching fire irons piercing his brain, it blocked out all other thoughts. Thoughts of where he was. Thoughts of how he came to be here. Thoughts of who he was._

_Because if you asked him his name, he couldn't tell you. If he could answer you at all, it would be with rage. Lashing out with out with anything available to him, for no other reason than due to the fact that he had been reduced to pain. Hot, searing pain._

Dean Winchester sat at his brother's bed side at Mercy General Hospital. There hadn't been any change in his status in the last week, and the doctors were considering letting Dean take him home to provide respite care there. No one could give him a medical reason for what was wrong with Sam, not that Dean needed one. His vital signs were all normal. He was breathing on his own. He was just in a coma. Sam was in a coma because he hadn't just scratched at the wall Death had put up; Sam had barreled through the damn thing.

Sam had been convinced that he had learned something during his time with their grandfather that would help them stop Eve. Now that Samuel was dead, Dean had searched all of his possessions and had come up with nothing of any use. So Sam took matters into his own hands when Dean was off trying to gank a good old-fashioned ghost. Dean came back to the motel to find Sam unconscious on the floor. Their next stop was here, because Cas hadn't answered any of his calls.

If he could yell at Sam he would do so, because his stunt hadn't yielded them any information on how to put that bitch back in Purgatory, and now it looked like he may have lost his brother for good. Instead, he sat next to him in the cold hospital room, and bit back the tears that fought their way to the surface.

Dean felt his pocket vibrate and pulled out his phone. He didn't recognize the number, but he answered it anyway. "Yeah," he answered, his voice weary from lack of sleep.

"Mr. Winchester...Mr. Dean Winchester?" the voice on the other end of the phone asked.

"Who is this? How did you get this number?" Dean demanded, suddenly more alert.

"My…my name is Jacob Yawitz. And my client gave me this number. He told me to call you at this number, on this date, April 22, 2011. He gave me very specific instructions," the man explained.

"Your client? Just who is your client?" Dean asked, even more wary.

"His name was Gabriel Novak, and I was his attorney. He wanted me to give you something for your brother. He also has something things for his brother, but Mr. Novak isn't returning my phone calls. Gabriel said to expect that from Castiel, and said that you might also be helpful in contacting him. Is that true?" Mr. Yawitz asked, a hint of hope creeping into the man's voice.

"Cas isn't very good at answering my calls these days either," Dean sighed. "Wait…why now? Why did that candy ass have you wait for a year to give us anything?" Dean didn't continue the rant out loud that was waging in his head. Why did that pain in the ass archangel continue to pop up in their lives even though he was technically dead? Would they ever be rid of him?

"If you know my client, then you know that he had the tendency to be somewhat…eccentric. He told me to tell you that he skipped ahead and saw how this story ended, and decided to leave all of you a few timely gifts. He said you would know what that meant. I sure hope so, because I don't."

"What exactly did he leave?" Dean demanded, still not trusting the dead angel, despite the fact that he gave up his life by standing up to his brother.

"He wouldn't allow me to divulge that over the telephone, Mr. Winchester," the lawyer said nervously. "Other than to say it would help improve your brother's health and help his own brother resolve a family dispute."

"Fine," Dean relented. "I will see if I can reach Cas. Where do you want to meet us?"

It took Dean almost a half day to get Cas to answer him and thirty minutes to convince him to at least take the time to check things out.

"If Gabriel left something behind that could help you win against Raphael, don't you even want to know what it is?" Dean pleaded.

"And what if it just another trick, Dean?" Castiel pointed out. "Then I will have just wasted my time. Raphael's forces have decimated my ranks. I have precious little time left."

"I can't risk _not_ checking it out, Cas," Dean pressed. "Sam has no other options."

Castiel sighed and then took them to the address the lawyer had given Dean. It was a fairly non-descript apartment in central Ohio. It shouldn't have surprised Dean that Gabriel had a place there, given the number of times that he and Sam had run into him in the Buckeye State. But given his flair for the dramatic, the apartment was rather plain. Maybe that was the point. No one would guess that the archangel turned trickster ever lived here, let alone stored his prized possessions here after his death.

Mr. Yawitz greeted them at the door. "Hello. Um…Mr. Novak left specific instructions that I am to give you this video to watch and leave you alone. Take as much time as you need. There isn't anything here except the furniture, but Mr. Novak assured me that what he left you would be explained in the video. However, I need to tell you that once you are done here today, the apartment will be put up for rent. He only paid his lease through the end of this month."

Dean groaned. "Oh god, please tell me it's not another porn video. I don't think I can take watching him in anymore of that crap."

"But Dean, the pizza man was very helpful last time," Cas reminded him.

The lawyer looked at the two of them with a mixture of confusion and horror as he started to leave. "Okay, then…I will just leave this video with you. I hope it is everything you expected."

Dean put the DVD in with some trepidation as he sat on the couch. "Come on Cas, we might as well get this over with."

As the video started, he was relieved to see Gabriel, just sitting on the very couch he was, talking to them. No cheesy music. No Hungarian accent.

"Well, here's another fine mess you've gotten me into," Gabriel said with a smirk. "Though, I guess it isn't really my mess since I've been dead for awhile. I think this means we are going to skip the pleasantries, since you figured out that I know the basics. Sam lost his soul, got it back gain. Death put it behind wall, the wall came crashing down, yada, yada, yada. And you Cas… fighting a war with Raffie. Guess I don't look so bad to you now for skipping out of Heaven, huh? Bet that is sounding like a pret-ty good plan to you right about now. And neither one of you have even asked me 'Gabe how's your afterlife? Are the chicks hotter on that side?'…Nooo…you two are worried about your own problems.

"But you…you guys..." he said shaking his finger at them through the screen. "Why is that I always have to save your asses, uh? First with Luci and now with this mess? Lucky for you, saving your asses has become a specialty of mine, even from beyond the grave. It's a good thing I could see this all coming, huh? So let's start with Cas, shall we?

"Bro, you are about at the end of your rope. Anyone can see that. And Raffie has got you on the run. It is a good thing I like you. And that Dad gave us Arch's the ability to decide certain things. Like where our power goes when we bite it. So since I was the Angel of Fire, I get to bestow that on you. Voila! That is done. Wonder twin powers activate! That'll give ole Raffie a kick in the pants the next time he comes after you, now, won't it? But even better, I am leaving you my horn."

As Gabriel said this, a horn appeared on Cas' lap. It wasn't what Dean expected. It looked battered and worn. Nothing like what he thought a trumpet of Heaven should look like.

"Now a quick lesson for Dean-o, here. You might think that if Cas uses this, it will issue the end times. No so much. Old wives tale, that is. What my little baby really does, when used properly by its true owner, is allow old worlds to die and new worlds to begin. Who exactly do think started the Renaissance, huh? Though I did have to pass blame off on that on an unsuspecting Italian so I didn't get caught down here by any of my brothers. Anyhow...Now as I pass this on to Cas, he becomes the new owner, so if he wants the old ways of Heaven to die and start a new realm up there, then he simply has to play a new song. I'd stay away from the works Lady Gaga if I were you, Bro. Not that I want to give you any ideas or anything," Gabriel said with a wink.

Gabriel's animated demeanor suddenly became somber and he seemed to look Dean right in the eye. "Now, onto more serious matters. Dean, I know Sammy is in real trouble here. So I am going to leave him the only thing I know of that might possibly help. I…I'm not really good at explaining this sort of thing, so I hope Cas can help out here. Just take very good care of it. It's very rare and I've had it my whole life." Gabriel paused and then looked at his brother. "Look, Cas. It was a really tough call. I'm hoping my horn will do the trick for you. And Sammy here really needs this. He's given so much to try and save the world and I felt we owed it to him. Plus, I think that there might be a chance that once he's better, there may just be enough left over to give you a boost, too, 'kay?"

With that, the screen faded to black, and a small teddy bear appeared on top of the television. It had once been white, but the fur had worn off years ago and the fabric had yellowed with age. Over time, it had lost its left ear and right eye. The eye had been replaced by an over-sized black button, most likely from a wool coat and the ear had been carefully stitched up. It wore a blue faded ribbon around the neck and the name "Bamse" was stitched in red thread over his heart.

Dean was the first to break the silence. "A teddy bear? He left a freaking teddy bear for my brother? And not even a new one at that!"

But Cas acted as if he had not heard Dean. He stood and cautiously moved toward the bear, head tilted in curiosity. He reached out his hand, only to withdraw it at the last moment.

"It is not simply a teddy bear," Castiel said, with a hint of anger to his voice. "That is purely how it chose to manifest itself in this world."

"How what manifested itself?" Dean asked. "What exactly did Gabriel leave behind?"

"Gabriel was one of the four archangels," Cas explained. "As such, our Father gave them each gifts as fledglings to carry through their life with them. And it appears old and worn, because Gabriel was away from Heaven from so long. He had to care for it himself. He had to repair it himself when it got damaged if he himself was hurt or injured. It was not in Heaven where it could heal on its own. But he clearly still loved and cared for it, despite how worn it is."

"So Gabriel gave Sam his childhood woobie. I still don't see how that helps Sam," Dean spat out.

"This isn't a toy," Castiel said, growing frustrated. "This…this contains the very essence of God himself."

"God…yeah, right," Dean mocked. "Because He is living and active in our world and cares what happens to Sam. That's why he ran away from all of you. What are we supposed to do with Bamse of whatever it is? Serve it to Sam like some sick form of communion?"

"Yes...I mean, no. Not in the sense you are talking about," Castiel struggled with his words. "We will not serve the bear for Sam to eat. But at its core, it still is a sacrament of the Spirit, a way to confer God's true substance to Sam. For Gabriel to leave this to him is unheard of."

"So what's the catch?" Dean asked, picking up the bear. Though it had looked like something that belonged on the Island of Misfit toys, Dean realized his mistake as soon as he touched. He could feel the power flowing through it. It practically vibrated in his hands. "Why did Gabriel leave this for Sam?"

"Catch? This is no catch," Castiel said. "Gabriel is dead. It is of no use to him now. And with Father missing, and Michael and Lucifer in the Cage, Raphael is the only one left that could possibly heal Sam in his current condition. Gabriel knew Raphael would refuse to do that since you are my allies. But this, this essence of God, it is quite possibly capable of restoring Sam, simply if he holds on to it."

Dean glanced down at the bear and felt the love oozing out of its seams. He was the one that had convinced Cas to come here in the first place and now he was dragging his feet on the only solution that any one that had offered for Sam.

"Cas, please take me to Sam," the weary hunter finally pleaded.

_Not only did he not know who he was or where he was, but he had lost track of time. Pain. Always, only pain. The only thing that had changed for him was how it was inflicted. Hot irons piercing his brains. Knives slicing him open. Fire burning him alive. It was never ending._

_But then, it all changed. A bright light suddenly filled the room bathing him in warmth and a love so deep like he had never known. The pain receded into the far reaches in his mind and he could move again. He could think he again. He knew his name. And as he started to slowly open his eyes, another name, one unfamiliar to him, crossed his thoughts..._

"Ba..Bamse?" Sam choked out as he slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times and saw that he was in a hospital room, not much different than those he had been in several times before. Dean was sitting next to him worry etched on his face as always, as Cas stood back in the corner, gazing out the window. And in his arms, Sam held a worn white teddy bear missing its ear.

"Sammy...Sammy," Dean cried out. 'You're awake. I hoped...but I wasn't sure...that thing really did work."

"Thing? What thing?" Sam asked.

"The teddy bear. Gabriel left you his teddy bear filled with God," Dean tried to explain. "That's why you came out of your coma."

"O-kay? Um... am I still in Hell, because things just got really weird here," Sam wondered aloud.

"No, Sam," Cas responded, as he turned to look at Sam. "Dean is correct. Though perhaps his explanation is not entirely accurate."

"Then can you explain it to me Cas?' Sam asked. "Cause I'm starting to get a little worried here that one or more of us is crazy."

Cas offered one of his rare, small smiles. "Do you know why Bamse was the first word you uttered when you woke up?" And with that, the angel of the Lord began to explain to Sam how a teddy bear can heal even the deepest of wounds.


End file.
